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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. mate — to breed
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. vault — a safe
  8. field — for sport
  9. field — farmland
  10. field — a subject
  11. bat — the animal
  12. mate — a friend
  13. mate — a partner
  14. cell — a phone
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. shower — to wash
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. cell — in biology
  21. shower — rain
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. safe — out of danger

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com